owning and operating a motor bike in california (Chula Vista, Vista: college, law)

[futbol]

Originally Posted by Gemdiver

That's awesome! I believe you should take the safety course even if you don't get something bigger. The DMV will take the completion of the MSF course in place of the driving test.

Thanks. It will reduce my insurance, too, although insurance is pretty cheap now.

I'm seriously thinking about it.

[impala666]

Sailboats not nice

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[RoninAmok]

Originally Posted by futbol

The permit probably expires at some point, right, with renewal an option?

So, in order I'll need to:

1. get a permit
2. add insurance
3. find a motor bike and helmet
4. take the test for motorcycle license

Best take the MSF course , and take a piece of advice , don't buy *just* a helmet , buy the rest of the needed gear i.e. *GOOD* gloves and boot's , a decent jacket preferably leather and with armor.

And yeah you will be better off with full leathers.


Dress for the fall , not for the ride , especially for the first year. And don't get in over your head as regards power.

Buy something as a ride that's not gonna make you cry when you drop it or it falls over in the parking lot , plastic is expensive to insure and replace.

And you do what you want , but scooters are more unstable at speed. Your most practical choice is going to be a Dual Purpose bike of some kind , eminently reliable , crashable , friendly power characteristics , light enough and decent handling with loads of ground clearance.

Stay away from 'sport' bikes , *especially the Liter Class and above* , the vast majority of folks have no concept of how FAST they really are nowadays and they are NOT for beginners , you'll learn far , far more on a D/P bike , which incidently will allow you to get off road , which in turn will help develop skills that can save your ass on the street.

Here let me put something in perspective for you , a decent *stock* 5.0 Fox Body Mustang puts down right around 185 horses to the ground and weighs depending on version 3200 lbs and up.

My lightly modified '04 GSXR1000 lays down an actual 171 horses and weighr 435 lbs wet , the '01 Hayabusa here weighs right at 530 in the trim it's in and rips off 288 horses on just 10 lbs of boost. My Aprilia ( a twin) still is over 125 horse even though it's a twin.


And forget the 600 sport bikes too , you don't want to be dealing with keeping in the thing on the pipe , and the transition spike will put you on your ass just like the old 2strokes if you catch it while really cranked over and hauling.

Stay practical , save the profiling at Starbucks for after you learn to ride , and when you go to start hanging out at Alice's , The RockStore , NewCombs , Skaggs etc and start riding some of the stellar roads in Ca , ride your *own* ride............keep in mind the aren't handing out trophies for running The Crest or Backside 9 fast.........but they damn sure can hand you a ticket that would have paid for a years worth of trackdays.

[RoninAmok]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

A modern 500cc bike puts out insane horspower compared to 30 years ago. You really don't need much bike to get into trouble. Once that front tire comes off the ground it's a missile you cannot control.

No it doesn't. The 500 class doesn't really exist anymore. But yes the modern supersport 600s put out quite a lot of horsepower as compared to the old days.

More than many of the original front line Superbikes of the mid to late '70s.

The *real* insanity resides in the aftermarket , trust me on that one.

[RoninAmok]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

I put that in there as I knew it would surprise some.

http://www.horsemanshipsafety.com/mulloy.doc.pdf

regarding safety gear. If you were riding your bike helmetless, naked and shoeless, how much more careful would you be than suited up in armor?

I think that for far too many, in far too many activities, safety gear acts as a common sense depressant

Before helmets were required I often did not wear one, with the idea that at the speeds I rode at, it would be better for me to be killed outright than to spend the rest of my life in a care facility.

Whatever , as an individual who has had my ass saved both on track and off by the right gear I must disagree.

And that " don't crash"....waddaya got some kind of Magic Wand to make left turning cages and the like disappear?

[RoninAmok]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Okay? Who says its okay to drive as you describe? Who gives the green light to do such? All illegal. Why helmets? If you need to ask .....

NO lane splitting is NOT illegal in Calif , it's a grey area. And I split lanes and don't much care who likes it or doesn't , setting waiting to get hit from behind in traffic because someone else is asleep at the switch isn't my cup of tea.

[.highnlite]

....

Originally Posted by RoninAmok

Whatever , as an individual who has had my ass saved both on track and off by the right gear I must disagree.

As someone who has ridden for 50 years with one minor road accident 40 years ago, including several years on a Ducati in Italy with all that entails, I may as well worn Bermuda shorts and sandals and a ball cap on backwards for all the good any safety equipment has ever done me.

And that " don't crash"....waddaya got some kind of Magic Wand to make left turning cages and the like disappear?

Apparently

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by RoninAmok

NO lane splitting is NOT illegal in Calif , it's a grey area. And I split lanes and don't much care who likes it or doesn't , setting waiting to get hit from behind in traffic because someone else is asleep at the switch isn't my cup of tea.

You are correct: lane splitting is legal in California ... I got carried away with my common sense there for a moment. What it is Not, however, is sane. And how nice of you to not care whether you affect other drivers in their concern for your life and limb. Hopefully you won't end up being shoveled into the body bag -- and what won't shovel, hosed down the sewer. I have perfomed this level of recovery of remains.

[.highnlite]

At the time of the big Harley rally in Reno each year, NHP puts electric signs on I 80 warning them Californians that lane splitting is illegal in Nevada and NHP will ticket offenders.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by RoninAmok

NO lane splitting is NOT illegal in Calif , it's a grey area. And I split lanes and don't much care who likes it or doesn't , setting waiting to get hit from behind in traffic because someone else is asleep at the switch isn't my cup of tea.

When driving my truck, I move over when I see a motorcycle trying to get by. Best to give room.

Often they notice and wave to me.

BTW, thanks for all that motorcycle advice, RoninAmok. As you can see a few posts back, I bought a scooter. I won't be parking it outside any biker bars, but I will be putting some bolt stickers on the side of it.

Tomorrow is my first commute in it. I spent part of the weekend practicing with it.

I'll look into some local safety courses. Taking one seems to be the overwhelming recommendation here. Who knows, maybe I'll get a real motorcycle some day.